ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: THE VALUE OF TREES

Think of trees as air conditioners and oxygen pumps and water pumps and stormwater drainage systems, and consider how much it would cost to build and run the equivalent machinery to carry out the same services. No wonder economists don’t like factoring in the value of ecosystem services to their bottom line. Global ecosystem services have been estimated at …………. .

AVERAGE GLOBAL VALUES OF SOME ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Biome

Area

(ha x 106)

Climate

regulation*

Waste treatment*

Erosion control*

Nutrient cycling*

           

Estuaries

180

     

21.100

Forest

4,855

141

87

96

361

Wetlands

330

 

4,177

   

Floodplains

165

 

1,659

   

Lakes & rivers

200

 

665

   

*Values are in 1994 US $ ha –1/yr-1